CALDWELL COUPLES
Last Valentine’s Day, we shared our first Caldwell Couple on Instagram. Since then, we’ve received even more pictures and stories of lasting romances that blossomed right here on campus.
Five alumni couples share, in their own words, how they met and fell in love at Caldwell and how the University continues to enrich their lives together.
ARE YOU A CALDWELL COUPLE?
Do you want to share your story and pictures with our community? Send an email with the subject line “Caldwell Couples” to alumni@ caldwell.edu to be featured here and on Instagram!
Michaela (Ciriak ’17) and Jason Scaringi ’17
“Jason and I met in 2015 at Caldwell University and graduated together in 2017. We didn’t have classes together since I was a nursing major, and he was a criminal justice major, but we did share common friends within the sorority Kappa Beta Gamma. We would see each other around campus, but it wasn’t until Jason made the first move in the Caldwell cafeteria that we really connected. I was rushing to make a bagel and go study, but Jason had different plans. He came up and started making conversation. After we swapped numbers, we went out to the Dunkin’ Donuts down the hill from Caldwell, and we hit it off. We have traveled to so many places together and have never gotten bored of each other. After four years together we got engaged in December 2019 and got married on Dec. 27, 2021. At our wedding, most of our friends were from Caldwell University! We made lifelong friends, memories and found our soul mates at Caldwell University. We could not be happier that Caldwell University brought us together.”
Shared by Michaela (Ciriak ’17) Scaringi
Efrain Velazquez ’07 and Alyssa (Speno ’08) Velazquez
“Alyssa and I first met through Caldwell Athletics. We were both scholarship athletes through our respective sports (softball for Alyssa and baseball for me). We got married in 2013 and most of our bridal party consisted of our teammates from Caldwell! Both of us have also been part of bridal parties for other Caldwell Couples.
We have been blessed with two beautiful girls – Gianna, age 7, and Sophia, age 5. Since we’re both very into sports we continue to pass that passion on to our children.
We still make it a point to stay very close with our Caldwell friends. As a matter of fact, once a year (for the past 12 years) I get together with several of the baseball guys to have dinner and talk about Caldwell memories.”
Shared by Efrain Velazquez ’07
Danielle (Dessino ’13) and Paul Nyitray ’14
“Love was certainly in the air when Paul and I met at Caldwell University! Caldwell played such an important role in our lives that, when we got married in November of 2018, we made it back to campus to commemorate where it all began.”
Shared by Danielle (Dessino ’13) Nyitray
Melissa Brady Petrillo ’14/MA ’18 and Christopher Petrillo ’14/MBA ’19
So many people at our wedding went to Caldwell! Notably, my brother Dennis Brady ’18 and Chris’s brother Michael Petrillo ’18, both Caldwell graduates, were in our wedding party–and two of my bridesmaids were alumnae, too. Chris and I graduated in 2014 for undergrad. I received my MA in Educational Leadership from Caldwell in 2018 and Chris received his MBA from Caldwell in 2019. We got married on July 12, 2019. One of our favorite memories from dating is when we went down the shore because we met at the Campus Ministry LBI retreat.”
Shared by Melissa Brady Petrillo ’14/MA ’18
Nicole (Laureigh ’10) Jiras and Jan Marco Jiras ’08/MBA ’10
“I met my husband at Caldwell. We were both members of the Caldwell soccer teams and met through friends. It was not until a few years later when we started dating. We were married by Father Al Berner, Caldwell’s former chaplain. We have been married for 11 years and have two active boys, 4-year-old Mateo and 1-year-old Nicolas. We also have many close friends who are ‘Caldwell Couples,’ and now we are all growing our families together.”
Shared by Nicole (Laureigh ’10) Jiras
